Martin Tyler's stats offers you statistical gems to make your day, impress your mates and, on occasion, to settle the odd bet and this week, lift the lid on a rivalry!
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If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email here he will do his best to help.
Tyler's Starting Stat - Arsenal on the run
Well, what can I say about Tuesday night at Anfield? We keep getting these games on Sky Sports and as you'd expect my Starting Stats were mainly about Andrey Arshavin but I have had to save them for your questions that came in after that stunning 4-4 draw. What I can tell you is that was Liverpool's 50th competitive game of the season and the third in a row in which they have scored four goals. The draw meant that both teams five-game winning streaks in the Premier League came to an end, although they have now won five and drawn one of their last six, scoring an identical 20 goals in that time. Arsenal's impressive run stretches back much further. They are now unbeaten in 19 Premier League games since the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City back in November. Finally, the Gunners are now unbeaten in the last 63 league games in which they have led at half-time - and Tuesday night was only their eighth draw to go alongside 55 wins. The last time they led at the break and were beaten was more than four years ago on February 1, 2005 when they were up 2-1 only to lose 4-2 at home to Manchester United.
FOUR-LORN REDS
Dear Martin, when was the last time Liverpool let in four at home? It can't have happened that often? Robert Slater
MARTIN SAYS: Of course, you will know that Arsenal put SIX past them in the Carling Cup back in January 2007 when Julio Baptista 'did an Arshavin' and scored four - and also missed a penalty! In the league, you have to go back a little further to October 2, 2005, when Chelsea - who of course put four past Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League last week - won a Premier League game 4-1 at Anfield. Frank Lampard put them ahead from the spot, Steven Gerrard levelled before Damien Duff made it 2-1 at half-time. Further strikes from Joe Cole and Geremi completed the rout.
HAT-TRICK HEROES
Martin, who was the last visiting player to score a hat-trick at Anfield? I know The Beast got four as well not long ago but it was in the Carling Cup. When was the last time a visiting player scored three in the league - you might have said it on air, but I was in a pub, full of Liverpool fans, which was, shall we say, a little noisy - but quite funny! Paddy McArthur
MARTIN SAYS: In the league you have to go all the way back to 1995 to find the last time someone came to Anfield and left with the match ball. That man was Zimbabwe international Peter Ndlovu who, on March 14 that year, scored all three goals as Coventry City won 3-2. But as those who weren't watching in a busy pub may have heard, there has been an instant of a visiting player scoring four at Anfield, just like Arshavin. Way back in December 1946, just three months after football had resumed properly following the Second World War, Wolverhampton Wanderers went to Liverpool and won 5-1. And a striker called Dennis Westcott did the most damage with four of the five goals. Westcott - who trialled at West Ham but was not signed up - went on to score 38 league goals that season, which is still a single-season record for Wolves. He was clearly a fine goalscorer as overall he scored 134 times in 144 appearances in the old gold.
LATE, LATE SHOWS
Dear Martin. There was something strangely inevitable about Liverpool's last-minute equaliser last night. Can you tell me which team has scored the most last-minute goals this season - I bet it's them. Also, who has scored the fewest? Keep up the good work. Nige
MARTIN SAYS: Liverpool are indeed the kings of the last-minute goal this season having scored in the 90th minute or injury time on 10 occasions in the league. However, they share that record with Tuesday night's opponents Arsenal who have also notched 10 last-minute Premier League goals this season. That's double the next best teams on the list - Everton and Manchester United - who have scored in the 90th minute five times each this campaign. Two teams have not enjoyed a last-minute goal at all in the league this year and that's Bolton and Fulham. Interestingly, third-placed Chelsea have only managed it twice - both dramatic late winners from Frank Lampard (against Stoke and Wigan). Lampard is one of eight players to have struck twice in the last minutes of games - the others being Tuesday night's late goalscorers Andrey Arshavin and Yossi benayoun, plus Emmanuel Adebayor, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Marouane Fellaini and Daniel Sturridge. Here is a list of how many 90th minute/injury time goals each team has scored in the Premier League this season:
Arsenal, Liverpool (10)
Everton, Man Utd (5)
Aston Villa, Stoke City, Tottenham (4)
Blackburn, Man City, Sunderland (3)
Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, West Brom, West Ham, Wigan (2)
Hull, Newcastle (1)
Bolton, Fulham (0)
LEADING THE WAY
Dear Martin. With our game in hand I can't see how Manchester United will fail to win the Premier League. I was wondering, has a team ever been top with five games to go and not gone on to win the title? Cheers, Seanie
MARTIN SAYS: This is not a totally straightforward question to answer because, as with this season, teams do not reach the 33-game mark at the same time. However, I have looked at the points totals that each team has had after 33 games (or 37 games in the old 42-game seasons). In EVERY season since the Premier League began the team with the most points after 33 games has gone on to lift the title. Effectively that means no team has thrown away the lead in their final five games. No matter what happens against Tottenham, Manchester United will have the most points after 33 games - which suggests the omens are looking good at Old Trafford.
ZONING OUT
Hi Martin, great column! As a Liverpool fan, I am sick of hearing about the "flawed" zonal marking system applied by Benitez. It seems to me that every time Liverpool concede a goal from a corner, someone is making the point that man-marking is better. Other teams on the other hand often get away with it. The error which led to the goal is then contributed to an individual mistake, not to the system as in Liverpool's case. You can probably guess what my question is. What I would like to know is if there is something to it? Do Liverpool concede more goals from set-pieces than other teams that are using this magical, far superior system called man-marking? I doubt it. Best regards, Ole-Jakob Lillestøl, Norway
MARTIN SAYS: Well Ole-Jakob a lot has been made of Liverpool's zonal marking of late but it should be said that none of Arsenal's four goals came from set pieces - although Arshavin's fourth did come from a break following a Liverpool corner! To answer your question I have been on to the boffins at Opta, who as usual have come up with a raft of stats, which tell whatever story you want. The first thing to say is that 28 per cent of goals against Liverpool have come from set pieces, which is the second highest in the Premier League. But, the other side of the story tells us that Liverpool's defence is the third meanest in the league this season, so they will have conceded less goals than many from corners and free-kicks (please not these figures do not include goals that were scored directly from a free-kick). They have conceded seven in total, and only West Ham (3), Manchester United, Fulham and Arsenal (4) have let in fewer. Which suggest zonal marking isn't as bad as all that... I think! The best way to answer this is to let the numbers speak for themselves...
TEAM | GOALS CONCEDED FROM SET PIECES | % OF TOAL GOALS CONCEDED |
Tottenham | 11 | 30.6 |
Liverpool | 7 | 28.0 |
Middlesbrough | 13 | 27.7 |
Chelsea | 5 | 25.0 |
West Brom | 15 | 23.8 |
Sunderland | 10 | 23.3 |
Hull City | 13 | 23.2 |
Man City | 10 | 22.7 |
Wigan Athletic | 10 | 22.2 |
Everton | 7 | 20.6 |
Man United | 4 | 19.0 |
Blackburn | 10 | 18.2 |
Portsmouth | 8 | 16.7 |
Stoke City | 8 | 16.7 |
Aston Villa | 7 | 16.3 |
Newcastle | 8 | 15.1 |
Fulham | 4 | 14.3 |
Bolton | 7 | 14.0 |
Arsenal | 4 | 12.5 |
West Ham | 3 | 8.1 |
If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email here he will do his best to help.
Comments (5)
Owen Osawe (Arsenal fan) says...
hello martin. i have been thinking of arsenal's defensive problems this season and what or who could be the perfect solution. and it got me wondering... who is statistically the best ever arsenal defender?
Posted 02:41 24th April 2009
Rhys Bowen (West Ham United fan) says...
Unrelated question here ..... When West Ham made the great escape in the 2006/07 season we doubled both Man.Utd and Arsenal, but we did this without conceding a goal as well. Is there any other cases when a team has done this in a season against these two English giants?
Posted 00:54 24th April 2009
Hughesey #1 (Leeds United fan) says...
Henry Nwaneri - Andy Cole got 5 goals against Ipswich (Man Utd 9 - Ipswich 0) Mark Viduka got 4 (Leeds 4 - Liverpool 3) to name a couple
Posted 21:24 23rd April 2009
Olawale idris Akinola (Arsenal fan) says...
Do you think, with the run arsenal have displayed in the past few months, and if able to continue like this next season. Do you think they can win the league. They have done well without the likes of the big guns, like adebayor, fabregas and walcott, eduardo, rosicky beacuse this players have not been worked yet this campaign.. So can win the league next season.. Thank you. Martin.. Look forward to hear on skyspors on sunday....
Posted 16:36 23rd April 2009
Homzie D (Manchester United fan) says...
Martin, there have been so many great players who have donned the Utd shirt & graced the Old Trafford pitch with their skill with tremendous success. In view of Scholesy's 600th appearance in a Man Utd shirt, which Man Utd player would you pick as the best Utd player in the Premier League and why? I was thrilled to see Liv drop 2 points but, what abt Arshavin, he was unbelievable that night. Cheers!!!
Posted 13:13 23rd April 2009